Moscow’s retaliatory sanctions ‘sobered up many' - Russian EU envoy

MOSCOW, August 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Many in Europe have realized the counterproductive nature of EU’s sanctions against Russia over its stance on the developments in neighboring Ukraine, while Russia’s retaliatory sanctions played not the least role and “sobered up many,” Russia’s EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said on Thursday.

“Regarding the European Union’s [new possible sanctions against Russia], I believe that the lack of the effect and counter-productivity have been probably realized if not by all, but by many,” Chizhov said in an interview with Russia’s Rossiya-24 television channel.

“Russia’s ban on food imports as a result of retaliatory measures played not the least role,” Chizhov added. “It [the ban] sobered up many.”

In response to Western sanctions, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on August 6 to ban for one year the imports of agricultural, raw and food products from the countries, which imposed sanctions against Russia.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced on August 7 that the Russian government imposed a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway.

The list of the banned products includes cattle meat (fresh, chilled and refrigerated), pork (fresh, chilled and refrigerated), poultry meat and all poultry edible by-products, salted meat, pickled meat, dried meat, smoked meat, fish and shell fish, clams and other water invertebrates, milk and dairy products, vegetables, edible roots and tuber crops, fruits and nuts, sausage and analogous meat products, meat by-products or blood, as well as products made of them, ready-to-eat products including cheeses and cottage-cheese based on vegetable fats.

The United States and the European Union, as well as Japan introduced a range of sanctions against Russia after Crimea’s merger with the country and over Moscow’s alleged involvement in armed standoff in Ukraine’s southeast.

Moscow repeatedly rejected the threats of broader sanctions saying the language of penalties is counterproductive and will strike back at Western countries.